Monday, August 2, 2010

27 job offers, all of them offering a huge salary, incredible benefits, and infrequent call in places with low crime rates, wonderful year-round climates, great activities, and excellent schools. None of them actually tell you where these places are, of course (they want you to call to find out). Perhaps on the banks of the beautiful river Wah-Hoo?

16 ads for medical education conferences on such topics as "The neurological manifestations of toenail fungus" and "Halitosis- Can you bill extra for putting up with it?"

1 letter to join the U.S. Army reserves, saying the army needs doctors with my skills (yet showing a picture of a guy doing surgery, which definitely ain't my skill).

24 ads from drug companies touting the virtues of their now once-a-day drug, which is otherwise identical to their previous twice-a-day drug (now available as a generic, of course) but costs 478% more per pill.

Well, in defense of the patient who fired you, my son had an appointment with a doctor once, about an hour away from our house. I took him out of school early, and drove all the way there, in bad weather. Keep in mind, we had received an appointment confirmation in the mail a week before, and the day before the appointment I received a phone call from the doctor's office confirming the appointment. We got there and the place was quiet. There was one person in the office and that person told me 'oh no, the doctor is on vacation this week.'. I was not happy, to say the least. I realize it wasn't his fault, someone on his staff messed up, but still... :o

I fired a doctor once who told me the neurological symptoms I was describing were "impossible." My next doc's eyes got huge when he heard my symptoms and he got me an immediate emergency neurology consult. Um yeah. I had a major cranial nerve going berserk. :) But just being on vacation when I call? Naw. I keep the good docs. :)

I fired a doctor. From my hospital bed, no less. In front of his residents. He had the gall to stand there and accuse me of creating my own medical history and records on my home computer. He was angry because he could not pin down my diagnosis. ::shrug::

Good for you on the meds thing - I've always admired docs who were slow to jump on the betterfastermore drug bandwagon. Especially brand new meds (not just reformulations). I'd rather not be the "next best thing" guinea pig...

I think you should join the army and and go to the Middle East. Think of the blog material! Actually, the patients there are probably so normal and needing of care that there would be nothing funny to write about.

I changed OB/GYNs after my doc, whom I had to see every three months for a while, was an hour late on my appointment. I was waiting almost nekkid in the exam room. I had asked the nurse what was going on. No excuse offered. I finally got dressed and left.

This was after he had kept me waiting on the previous two appointments.

PS I also did not appreciate being called by my first name by the young receptionist. "Ms" will do just fine, honey.

Welcome to my whining!

This blog is entirely for entertainment purposes. All posts about patients may be fictional, or be my experience, or were submitted by a reader, or any combination of the above. Factual statements may or may not be accurate.

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